Zhao Congnan and Ma San pushed out a heavy, round, black iron disc from the warehouse.
"For some reason, the city’s Array Plate has vanished, but luckily we have a spare," Zhao said.
"Yes, we must assemble it right away."
The two of them started bustling about as they spoke.
"Will we make it in time?" Wu Xiaode asked.
"Demons are approaching the city from the outside, a group from the east and another from the south, arriving at the city gates in about ten minutes," the woman said.
Wu Xiaode looked at her, his face expressionless as he asked, "What’s your name?"
—As an NPC, asking someone their name should be quite normal.
"Caijing," the woman replied.
"Alright, Caijing, go to the city outskirts—"
Before Wu Xiaode could finish, he suddenly looked up.
The woman known as Caijing also looked up at the sky at the same time.
They saw a streak of light flashing across the clear sky, descending at an extremely rapid pace and stopping right in front of them.
—It was a man clad in a magnificent red robe, his expression brimming with tyranny.
He scanned the group, his gaze sweeping over Caijing without recognizing her.
The woman had completely concealed her aura and had put on a set of light scout armor; she was truly a person of this world.
"Answer me, or you will all die—have you seen a man dressed in the same clothes as me?" the man demanded sternly.
Leveraging a quick glance at his attire and sensing the aura around him, Wu Xiaode realized.
This man was from the Destruction Council.
He must have lost contact with Arian and thus came specifically to look for him.
Wu Xiaode stole a look at the woman named Caijing, noticing a hint of confusion flashing across her face.
—After she had immobilized Arian, she didn’t witness herself killing him.
At this moment, she didn’t know Arian’s whereabouts either.
"Answer me, or you’ll all die," the man in the red robe said.
Everyone looked towards Wu Xiaode.
Taking a step forward, Wu Xiaode said in a hoarse voice, "We don’t know who you are looking for, but this place is the Human Race’s last hope. Would you like to help defend the city?"
The man’s expression clearly shifted.
He stared into the void, his face changing from tyranny to astonishment, murmuring softly,
"The reward is—an Awakening Skill for Tao Power?"
A thought crossed Wu Xiaode’s mind, and he added another line to the mission.
The whole mission text appeared as:
"Demon Suppression Mission:"
"Assist the Demon Suppression General in defending the city."
"Reward: Human Emperor Tao Power Cultivation Method."
"If the city falls, the mission fails."
"Failure to complete the mission results in expulsion from the Human Emperor’s Secret Realm, with no re-entry for one year!"
—In fact, Wu Xiaode had wanted to set the penalty for failure to "eradication."
But according to the "Commander" rule, he could not eradicate those who took on the mission; expulsion was the most he could enforce.
If the "Commander" really had such a function, it could be considered a kind of "End."
—However, this was barely sufficient.
The man in the red robe was immediately tempted.
Gaining Tao Power is something everyone dreams of.
"Fine, I can move with you. But none of you should interfere with my actions or command me," he stated.
"Agreed," Wu Xiaode said in a guttural voice.
Seeing his serious reply, the man accepted the mission.
A display immediately appeared in front of Wu Xiaode:
"The other party has accepted the current mission."
This was going to be easier.
Wu Xiaode strode to the wall of the city, extended his hand, and threw a punch.
A piece of the wall turned into two segments from his strike.
He extended two fingers, plucked out half of the brick, and held it in his hand.
"General, what are you doing?" Zhao Congnan asked nervously.
"Elder Zhao, no need to worry," Wu Xiaode said in a deep voice, slowly walked back, and stood in front of the man in the red robe, showing him the broken half-brick.
"What does this mean?" the man in the red robe was puzzled.
"This is a piece of the city wall, and now it’s broken," Wu Xiaode said in a low voice.
The man in the red robe was stunned.
The woman named Caijing also stood frozen, unable to help but throw glances at Wu Xiaode.
—Could that actually work?
In the next moment, the man in the red robe saw several lines of text appear before him:
"City broken, mission failed."
"Expelled from the Human Emperor’s Secret Realm immediately, no re-entry for one year!"
A spatial fluctuation appeared on the man in the red robe.
"Damn you, I’ll remember you—"
The man in the red robe hadn’t finished cursing when he turned into a streak of light and vanished with a swoosh.
The world regained its quiet.
Wu Xiaode couldn’t help but smirk.
I’m wearing a faceplate, covered in Battle Armor, you don’t even know what I look like, and I deliberately lowered my voice when speaking.
Now you say you remember me?
Nobody would believe that! This update is available on NoveI~Fire.net
"That man was too presumptuous, openly saying he won’t follow military orders, so he is unfit to act with us," Wu Xiaode said in his normal voice.
Zhao Congnan, Ma San, and even the woman looked at him, all quite impressed.
"Then—my mission is also to defend the city—I—" Caijing hesitated.
The city has fallen, wouldn’t my mission also fail?
Of course, Wu Xiaode wouldn’t let her mission fail, especially since she was a strong fighter. Whether they could hold the city later heavily depended on her efforts.
"Here, take this," Wu Xiaode handed her the half brick.
"Put it back on the city wall."
"...Alright, I’ve never seen anyone defend a city ."
Caijing sighed, walked over, and placed the brick back into the crevice, piecing it together with the other half.
Zhao Congnan and Ma San watched from the side.
"I’ve realized, it takes being this cunning to be a Demon Suppression General," Ma San muttered softly.
Zhao Congnan immediately kicked Ma San and exclaimed,
"What cunning not cunning—this is called being adept in battle. Don’t talk nonsense if you don’t understand. Just the Demon Suppression General deeming you ’disrespectful’ could cost you your head."
"Yes, yes, yes! Our Demon Suppression General is truly skilled in battle!" Ma San immediately snapped back to reality, showing a flattering expression to Wu Xiaode.
Wu Xiaode didn’t bother with him and directly gave orders:
"Elder Zhao, Ma San, assemble the Array Plate. Caijing, go kill the demons in the south."
"There are more demons on the east side," Caijing said.
"The east side is mine," replied Wu Xiaode.
Caijing explained, "The demons on the east side are strong, and there are remnants of the Human Race continuously approaching; the situation is complex. It might be dangerous for you alone."
"We’re short on hands; let it be this way for now, start the action!" Wu Xiaode stated.
After that exchange, Caijing didn’t insist any further. His figure flashed as he soared into the sky, flying towards the southern part of the city.
"I’m off as well, see you later," Wu Xiaode said.
"General, take care,"
Zhao Congnan and Ma San bowed together.
Wu Xiaode’s figure flashed, he swept across a vast expanse of buildings, and stood atop the city wall.
He looked out beyond the city wall.